Many integrated circuits are formed within active areas of a substrate, and structures within an integrated circuit design layout may help electrically isolate one active area from a neighboring active area so that electronic components in different active areas do not undesirably influence each other. Different types of structures can be used for this isolation, such as a guard ring or a deep trench. A guard ring has conductivity determining impurities implanted into the substrate, where the guard ring surrounds an active area that may include a well. Electronic components are formed in the active area, so electrical isolation of different active areas in the substrate also isolates the electronic components in those different active areas. Grounded contacts may be in electrical communication with the guard ring to facilitate the isolation. The guard rings may have varying widths for different degrees of isolation or to better fit the space within the integrated circuit design layout, where the circuit design may include multiple guard rings of varying size and shape in different locations. Different types of guard rings may be used for N and for P type wells, such as a P guard ring for an N type well and an N guard ring for a P type well. Integrated circuit design layouts are often provided with guard rings in place.
Production techniques that reduce cost are desirable for integrated circuits in part because of significant price pressure, but also because reduced cost is always desirable. Royalties for intellectual property owned by others can contribute to the cost of integrated circuits, where the use of different patented processes can increase the number of required royalties and thereby increase the total cost. Furthermore, process changes from one type of structure to another for different circuits or for similar purposes within an integrated circuit can also increase costs, in part because different structures may require an increase in the total number of manufacturing steps. For example, different process steps may be required for a deep well and for a guard ring, so including both types of isolation structures in an integrated circuit design layout requires additional manufacturing steps because each structure may be separately formed with different steps. Equipment changes may be required between runs of different types of integrated circuits to accommodate the different manufacturing tools used to form deep wells versus the manufacturing tools used to form guard rings. These equipment changes between runs increase the set up costs when a manufacturing facility changes from one type of integrated circuit to another where the two different types of integrated circuits include different types of electrical isolation structures.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide integrated circuit design layouts with a uniform type of isolation structure throughout the integrated circuit design layout, and methods of producing the same. In addition, it is desirable to provide methods and structures for modifying integrated circuit design layout to change one designed isolation structure into the uniform type of isolation structure, so the same type of isolation structure may be used for different types of integrated circuit design layouts. Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics of the present embodiment will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and this background of the invention.